Nov 11 2024 … Really?! Love Your Enemies!

Nov 11 2024 … Really?!  Love Your Enemies!      

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...   

… Please take time to hear Paul Demer, with music and lyrics, singing Love For Enemies, calls for all Christians to cross the great human divide and love our enemies.   

 

  

Reference Passage: …  Luke 23:34 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …  

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

… Jesus lived out His mandate to His followers, calling them (us) to forgive and pray for those who are our enemies.          

Highlight Passage (in context)  … Luke 22:63-65, 23:32-38  … [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …   

… When Jesus was taken unjustly to the cross by His enemies, He forgave and prayed for those who who were killing Him to be forgiven.                                                                                         

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Reference Passage: …  Leviticus 19:18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …  

… God commands Moses to tell God’s chosen people to be able to love others as they (we) love themselves (ourselves).           

Reference Passage: … Matthew 5:43-48 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …  

…  Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount to forgive, show love, and pray for our enemies.  

Reference Passage: … Luke 6:27-28 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …  

… Jesus instructs His followers and His Disciples to love each other … yes, even their (our)  enemies.     

Reference Passage: …  Romans 12:14, 20 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …  

… The Apostle Paul quotes from Proverbs 25:21-22, calling fellow Christians to be able to love and pray for our enemies.  

Reference Passage: …  1Peter 3:9 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK …   

… Peter instructs fellow Christians to avoid repaying evil with evil but rather to extend and pray for blessing for those who do wrong to us as Christians.                                                                                    

Reference Passage: …1John 4:7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …  

…   The Apostle John calls fellow Christians who know God as Messiah and Lord to show love to others … ALL OTHERS.    

My Devotional Journal: Today’s Our Daily Bread  Author, Tim Gustafson -  AT THIS LINK  -  related a story about a young Navy corpsman, Lynne Weston, who, during a battle was called on to treat an enemy combatant and had to ignore the calls of his fellow soldiers to ignore giving plasma treatment to the enemy soldier. However, knowing what Jesus, His Lord, would call him to do - and that is to love and give treatment to his enemy, which he did.    

Today, we don’t know what we may encounter; but once my readers take in the linked song and the Scriptures above, I would pray that we all, like the the soldier in the ODB story, would be able to show love and humble concern for ANYONE who needs our help - yes, even for those who’ve wronged us in the past.  Are you with Jesus on this?  I’m stopping to pray for us right now!                               

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for showing Your healing grace to me, even when I was Your enemy in the past.                        

My Prayer Today:  Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... .Again, I’m praying that those who read with me here will join me to seek and receive Your love and grace, Lord, … even if our enemies need Your love from us today.         … Amen

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Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.